Untitled (Commencement, Mather House, Harvard University) Jun-72

Editor: Elsa Dorfman's gelatin silver print, "Untitled (Commencement, Mather House, Harvard University)," captures a seemingly candid moment. It feels like a snapshot of academic life, but the people at the table are very aware of the camera. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The chairs, the tablecloth, and the disposable plates all point to a specific kind of temporary arrangement, almost a pop-up celebration. It speaks to the means of production of this type of event: the labor, the resources, the waste. The act of documenting it through photography also adds another layer of meaning in terms of labor and consumption. Editor: That's fascinating. So, you're saying the photo is not just about the event, but about the systems that enable the event to occur? Curator: Precisely. It prompts us to consider the materiality of the social event itself, and what its documentation means. Editor: I never considered how much the materials used shape the meaning of the image! Curator: It's about labor and consumption.